


Distance

by poolsidescientist



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, greg at emory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-04-07 06:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14074467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poolsidescientist/pseuds/poolsidescientist
Summary: Over a year into school, Greg has done his best to grow up and move on from the life he had in West Covina. At least until he gets a new neighbour with a connection to someone from his past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I said I wasn't going to write Crazy Ex Girlfriend fic for a while but this idea is bothering me so I figure I'll write and see what happens. I own no part of the show. Any feedback or ideas are always welcome. I don't have a plan for this story so we'll see what happens.

Greg Serrano rubbed his eyes as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. He had just had his final exam for the semester and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep on his couch. Okay, that was a lie, he wanted a gin and tonic. Okay, he wanted ten gin and tonics, which he could have had if he had accepted his friends’ invites to go partying. But Greg was a recovering alcoholic and he knew better. He had dedicated enough of his life to self-destructive behavior. He knew when to stop now. What he really needed was sleep.

His exam went well, or so he thinks he did. In truth, Greg was too tired to be objective about any of the four exams he had written over the course of the week. He wished he could talk to his neighbours but neither of his next-door neighbours were around. His neighbour Mariyam and her husband Ahmed who treated him like their son had gone to visit their daughter in Chicago for a month, and his other neighbour Carlos had finished his exams a week early and already moved out. The only other neighbours on his floor were the mean lady with five cats, the creepy former teacher who had been fired for sexually harassing his students not long ago, and Dave the pompous douchebag who constantly boasted about his tech startup. Greg had no desire to become friends with any of these people.

It caught him by surprise when he walked up the stairs and found a young woman in front of Carlos’s old apartment swearing and trying to open the door. It was quite likely that she was his new neighbour. Greg found it unsettling that he might end up with a next door neighbour who was too much of a ditz to know how to use a key properly. He figured he should at least go talk to her to see what he was up against.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, sorry I’m terrible with doors. Just graded 200 lab reports and now my brain is fried,” she smiled sheepishly, and judging by the bags under her eyes, she was as tired as he was. The woman wore a stained Emory hoodie with yoga pants. Her brown hair was in a messy ponytail. Greg had never seen her before in his life but there was something familiar about her face.

“You’re a professor?” Greg raised an eyebrow.

“Hah! Maybe someday, just a grad student for now. Immunology. How about you?”

“Undergrad, just finished the last of my business exams.”

“Cool. Guessing you’re my new neighbour?”

“Yeah, next door,” Greg pointed towards his own front door.

“Good to know, you’re the least creepy person on this floor. Although you’re a business student and business is full of sociopaths so you might actually be the only one on this floor organised enough to be a proper serial killer,” she rambled. He’d heard that style of rambling before but couldn’t quite put his finger on where.

“Are you okay?”

“I hope so, haven’t slept in three days and just moved in so I guess we’ll find out,” she took the key out of the door. It had the word ‘lab’ written on it. She tried an unmarked key on the same keychain and opened the door. “So, are you from Atlanta?”

“No, California. Shitty little town four hours from the beach.”

“Cool, I’m from New York. A cousin of mine actually moved to Cali a couple years back over a guy or something. Apparently she’s got a few screws loose but who doesn’t. I’ve never actually met her so who am I to judge? My dad and I are kind of estranged from the rest of the family, but maybe someday I’ll get a chance,” she sighed. “I’m Daisy by the way, Daisy Garfinkel.”

“Greg Serrano.” He smiled at her as walked into his own apartment. He was glad to know who his new neighbour was but she reminded him of someone and somehow the name Garfinkel sounded familiar. Opening his computer, he decided to google her name. He was not stalking her, nor was he researching her obsessively. He was just a little curious about the person who happened to live next door to him now.

The first few hits were of Daisy herself: a paper she had published on the relationship between intestinal mucus and the human microbiome, a LinkedIn profile page, an abandoned twitter account. Nothing embarrassing or relevant to him, but then he kept searching. There were a few Garfinkels in New York, including a Naomi Garfinkel who was formerly married to Silas Bunch: Rebecca’s mother was a Garfinkel. Daisy’s cousin who had moved to California was none other than Rebecca Bunch. Greg’s new neighbour was his ex-girlfriend’s cousin. That was the familiarity. They had a family resemblance, she looked a bit like Rebecca, just enough to hurt his heart. It was now occuring to Greg that every time he looked at Daisy, all he would see was Rebecca. There was no way for this to possibly end well. Now he really wanted a gin and tonic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I finally got around to writing a second chapter! Comments and advice are always welcome.

Daisy Garfinkel was ecstatic. She had finally finished grading lab reports for the semester and didn’t have to go into the lab for three entire days. For that long weekend, she was free to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted to. Eating macaroni and cheese out of the pot while still in her pyjamas at 2:00pm, Daisy was truly living her best life.

At some point of course, she realised she would have to unpack. While some kitchen items, her bed, and some clothing had been set up in the new apartment, there was much to do. Decorating and organizing the new place would have to happen. Not today, but at some point in the future. She wanted to say later on in the week, but knowing herself it would probably be closer to the end of the month. For now, she was comfortable with the stacks of boxes cluttering the room and couldn’t be bothered to move them.

Introducing herself to the rest of neighbours was another thing that would have to happen soon. Of course she had met Greg, the business student from California, but had only seen the rest of them in passing. None of them looked particularly friendly so perhaps that was for the best. Still, it was a nice enough place for now. Most of Daisy’s life was spent in the lab or library anyway.

Taking a last bite of pasta, she noticed that she had just missed a call from California. The same number had called her several times in the past few months but she had never answered. Maybe it was fatigue, or curiousity, or simply the fact that she had gotten a good long-distance plan but today, she finally decided to call the number back.

“Yo Greg, what the hell I’ve been trying to call you for for months and you never answer your emails. How’s Emory? Also, loads of crazy shit has happened in West Covina that you might want to know about,” explained the woman on the other end of the line. She sounded frustrated.

“Hey, um I think you have a wrong number. Sorry for not picking up and telling you earlier,” Daisy confessed sheepishly.

“Oh, oops. I should have like, thought of that. My friend who moved to Atlanta not only has terrible handwriting but hates social media so I have to phone him like it’s the 90’s or something.”

“Sounds kinda pretentious.”

“Urg, you have no idea,” Daisy could hear the lady roll her eyes over the phone.

“Sorry you had the wrong number all this time. I’m actually a grad student at Emory so I could probably help you track this guy down if you want. Actually, I just moved and as it turns out, I have a neighbour named Greg. Last name starts with an S, brown hair, kinda condescending tone when he talks.”

“That sounds exactly like him. Is his name Greg Serrano?”

“Yeah, that’s it. It sounds like I’ve found your guy. Want me to give him your number and tell him to call you?”

“That would be awesome, some stuff happened back home in California that he kinda needs to know about but none of his other friends have told him.”

“Sounds like a real shitshow.”

“Yeah, kinda was,” the woman over the phone agreed.

“So I just moved next to this guy. Are there like, any red flags or things I should be aware? Please tell me he’s not a violent alcoholic. My name’s Daisy by the way.”

“Heather. Actually Greg is a recovering alcoholic so don’t offer him any alcohol. Once he even got so drunk he tried to steal a plane.”

“Shit, seriously?” Daisy raised an eyebrow.

“Apparently, I wasn’t like, there. But he got a lifetime ban from Southwest for it. We used to work at a bar together and he’s my friend’s ex-girlfriend. Greg’s kinda moody but otherwise okay. Unlike his dad, his dad is a huge fucking asshole.” There was nothing more terrifying than rage from an otherwise calm person, and her neighbour’s father made this woman genuinely angry.

“Yikes. My dads are awesome so I can’t imagine what that must be like. It was nice to meet you Heather, other than your number is there anything you want me to pass on to him?”

“Nah, just some personal stuff I kinda want to keep private between friends.”

“Gotcha, good luck with your friend!” now she was genuinely curious about her next door neighbour and his mysterious past.

“Thanks girl, have a nice day.” And with that, Heather from West Covina hung up and went on with her day.

…..

Daisy Garfinkel was no stalker, but she was a scientist. And like all scientists, she asked questions. She googled Greg Serrano’s name. As Heather said, the man appeared to have a vendetta against social media. But he did have a LinkedIn page. On that LinkedIn page, it stated that he used to work at a bar franchise named ‘Home Base’ and did indeed work with a woman named Heather. Heather Davis was a regional manager at Home Base. Heather Davis also had instagram. 

A sensible person may have scoffed at invading a stranger’s privacy. But Daisy was a PhD student and therefore not a sensible person. She scrolled through Heather Davis’s instagram to look for pictures and information about her new neighbour. Before she got to that point, Daisy noticed a picture of Heather and another woman who she claimed was her roomate. Normally that would have meant nothing but this roomate of hers was wearing a ring. Not just any ring but the family heirloom ring: THE Garfinkel ring. An object Daisy had only seen in ancient pictures. It was worn by a Rebecca Nora Bunch. This became the next name Daisy googled. Rebecca Bunch was the daughter of Naomi Garfinkel, her father’s sister who she had never met but was apparently a heinous bitch. Daisy had never met any of her extended family, but now her long-lost cousin in California wasn’t quite so lost anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me forever to figure out what to do with this chapter. If you are still reading this, thank you for your patience. I do not own Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, just having fun with the characters. Feel free to leave comments if you want :)

In Greg’s mind, his new neighbour was ‘not-Rebecca’ and it took a considerable amount of effort not to call her that to her face. Logically he knew that Daisy Garfinkel was her own person, one who had never even met her cousin. But it was impossible not to compare the two. They had similar faces and the same green eyes. They were both funny and tended to ramble on when excited. They both loved food. But Daisy was taller and slimer than Rebecca. Daisy had longer hair and dressed more modestly. Unlike Rebecca, Daisy was focused, but not nearly as obsessive. Most of her focus was on her research and on her friends and family. Rebecca was a whirlwind, Daisy was cheerful and polite, but seemed to be a bit wary of him. To be fair, he generally made a point of avoiding her.

Still, it had only been a week since she had moved in. The semester had ended and Greg’s grades were starting to trickle in. So far he was a straight A student. It was amazing how clear his mind could be sober. His friends from back home hadn’t kept in touch so he had channelled his frustration into his studies rather than his drinking. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and therapy from student services were helpful. So was his job at the bookstore. It was nice to be surrounded by books and people who enjoyed them as much as he did. 

Greg was slowly rebuilding his life. Part of that meant setting boundaries for dealing with his father. He even made up a story about a girlfriend to keep him off of his back. The more time he spent away from the man, the more toxic Greg realised that relationship was. It hurt to think about so, for once in his life, he tried not to stew in his own misery. He was not an olive in a martini, he was a man in charge of his own destiny. He was responsible. The past seemed far away, so he kept his distance from the past and tried to focus on the future. For the first time in his life, Greg Serrano was genuinely proud of himself and his work. He wasn’t there yet, but the person he always wanted to be now felt attainable.

But then his phone rang. Because of course it did.

“Hello,” he answered, it was long distance. West Covina.

“Yo Greg, how are you? Sorry I haven’t called you bro, we all had a wrong number for months! You really need to get on social media like the rest of the world,” Josh explained. It had been months since Greg had heard his best friend’s voice. 

“Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense. Kinda thought you forgot about me, I’m genuinely sorry about that,” now Greg just felt guilty. “I’m good, I’m doing really well in school. I work in the school bookstore right now and have kept myself out of the bars. How’s your life been going? The only person I’ve talked to from home is my dad so I know nothing.” 

“Hah! Lucky you!”

“Lucky me how? Did something happen with Rebecca?” Greg took a deep breath and braced himself to hear about whatever shitshow Rebecca Bunch had gotten herself into over the past year.

“Nooooot Reaaalyyyy-”

“Josh you’ve always been a shitty liar. Since kindergarten. Are you okay?”

“Not really, I’ve missed you bro. So I did have a thing with Rebecca and we got engaged and we were going to get married, Valencia was actually the wedding planner. But we didn’t because I got cold feet and went to priest school but that didn’t work out so I left after two weeks and Rebecca terrorised me. She went on a rampage, she even slept with your dad! Then she went back to New York and came back but tried to kill herself. She’s still getting better but she had an affair with her boss and her stalker Trent came back and now she’s in jail for pushing him off a roof! It’s been crazy man. Also I work at a strip club now,” Josh confessed, barely taking a moment to breathe between sentences.

“WHAT!?!” Greg yelled into the phone.

“I’m a DJ now, I don’t dance as much anymore. It’s kind of a promotion,” Josh noticed the silence on the other end of the line, “whoa, so you didn’t know anything that I just told you?”

“No, I didn’t know that Rebecca slept with my fucking dad and tried to kill herself!” Greg felt hot angry tears roll down his cheek. He wanted to scream.

“Shit, I said too much. Dude, the last few months have been really hard. You’re my best friend and I miss you and I haven’t made the best decisions. I’m sorry, I said too much.”

“It’s fine Josh, I’m just glad I wasn’t there to witness all of that.” Greg hung up without saying goodbye. He hadn’t been this angry since he left West Covina. Just when everything was going well he had to get news like that. He missed Josh but was also horrified about everything he just learned.

Greg was filled with more rage than he could express in words. He could express it in his fist however, as he punched his door and screamed. Greg could feel splinters in his knuckles but he didn’t care. He punched the door again. This time it opened and Greg realised that it wasn’t his door that he had punched but Daisy’s. She was clearly terrified but she had a baseball bat. Acting on impulse, she whacked him in the head with it before he could react. They both stared at each other in horror as soon as it happened. So much for being a good neighbour.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still alive!!! Had a lot going on but figured I'd get a chapter in before the new season starts. This fic will probably diverge from season four's storyline and yes, it will eventually get written. I own nothing but my own questionable ideas and am always appreciative of feedback :)

“Shit, you’re stronger than you look,” Greg confessed as Daisy handed him an ice pack wrapped in a hand towel. He lay down on her couch staring up at the ceiling. His head was spinning and he was in a fair amount of pain. His hand had been roughly patched up with an old first aid kit Daisy found in her bathroom. It had been from her previous apartment but it was better than nothing.

“Lab work is surprisingly physical,” she explained, “at least my work is. We carry a lot of boxes. Chemicals don’t mix themselves either. It’s a bit like being a bartender, except that the research chemicals are dangerous and you really should not drink them.”

“I used to be a bartender. And an alcoholic.” Greg winced at the memories but kept them to himself. He doubted his neighbour wanted to hear about the bush-fucking incident.

“Sorry to hear about that.” Daisy looked genuinely apologetic. Her eyes were a lot gentler than Rebecca’s.

“It’s not your fault. Sorry for punching your door. I thought it was mine and I didn’t think,” he apologised, “I’ll pay to repair the damage since I’m responsible for it.”

“I appreciate that Greg, but why were you punching a door in the first place? Also, would you like some coffee or tea?”

“Coffee would be great, maybe an advil if you have.” Daisy handed him two advil and a glass of water before going off to make coffee. Her apartment was the same size as his but slightly more cluttered. She had manage to unpack completely but had not yet added many personal touches to the apartment. Her bookshelf was full, and beside was a desk and a whiteboard featuring several complicated-looking chemical formulas. Greg didn’t even try to understand them. On the coffee table by her couch she had a few photographs. Her childhood pictures were split between a woman Greg suspected was her mother, and those with two men who could have been her dads. Alongside the family pictures were a several pictured of her friends and one of her lab. If Greg had to guess, Daisy’s parents split up when she was very young, but she was on good terms with both of them. Lucky her.

“Seriously though dude, what the fuck is going on in your life?” Daisy handed him a mug of coffee and brought out a plate of snickerdoodles. She took a sip from her own Doctor Who mug. The mug she had given him was Star Wars-themed.

“My ex-girlfriend slept with my dad and tried to kill himself.” The words slid out like vomit after a night of drinking. 

“Wow. That is, quite something. I’m so sorry Greg. That’s really messed up.” Daisy looked truly horrified by his revelation. Greg figured that now was not the best time to tell her about her cousin.

“Thanks Daisy, I don’t know what to do about it. I just, my dad...how could he?” Betrayed. Greg felt betrayed by his father.

“Have you talked to your friends about it? Can you?”

“My best friend from childhood, he’s the one that told me. He didn’t know that I didn’t know.” Greg rubbed his eyes. He was crying. He hadn’t cried since he left for Emory. Daisy got him a blanket. Somehow it helped.

“It sounds like everyone in your life from California was involved in this shitshow.”

“Shitshow is right. The only people not involved are my from Alcoholics Anonymous support group. Almost else everyone I know from classes went home for the summer.”

“Do you have anyone from your Alcoholics Anonymous group that you feel comfortable talking to?” Daisy asked. Greg nodded, he still looked very upset. “Talk to them. If you have anyone left on campus talk to them. The school counselling services are open all summer and they’re free for students. I can get you more information if you’d like.”

“I think I need that.” Greg admitted after a moment of silence. His coffee had gone cold.

“You need something. A guy in my lab tried to kill himself last year. He was a postdoc and he seemed fine until he wasn’t. These things are difficult so make sure to take care of yourself,” Daisy explained. She forced an understanding smile. It was not a Rebecca smile. Greg would remember that on occasions when she did remind him of Rebecca.

“Thank you. I think, I need to go home now. I have a lot to think about.” Greg looked out her window. It was dark outside. It had been a long and difficult afternoon.

“Try and get some sleep.” Daisy walked him to his door. He went home and collapsed on his bed, ignoring his headache and sore hand.

After he left Daisy looked through her phone to find the one number she had from West Covina. She took a deep breath and dialed. The person on the other end picked up.

“Hey.”

“Hi Heather, I’m really worried about your friend.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a rough few months (I had bronchitis, one of my dogs passed away, etc.) but I figured I ought to write at least one more chapter before the new year. This story may end up converging with season four of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend but it probably won't. Will let you know when I get to that point. Thanks for all the feedback and I'm always happy to hear from you!

“Wait, what?” Daisy could practically hear Heather raise an eyebrow over the phone. She sounded concerned but not especially surprised.

“Ya, so your pal Greg punched my door and I freaked out and thought it was an intruder so I hit him with a baseball bat. Turns out he found out from his best friend that his ex-girlfriend slept with his dad so he freaked out. Not that I blame him, that’s honestly really a really shitty thing to do. I got him an ice pack and talked to him for a bit before sending him home,” Daisy rambled, trying to explain the situation to the best of her ability.

“Okay,” Heather took a deep breath but still somehow managed to sound calm, “that’s a lot to take in.”

“Yeah, I know it’s family drama and stuff but like, I haven’t had family drama since my dad got disowned by his parents for being gay but I was like five and don’t remember much. How the hell do people deal with family drama? How do you cope?” Daisy wondered. She sunk into her couch and stared up at the ceiling fan. It was covered in dust.

“My family is like, super chill, so I have no personal experience with the stuff. My roommate has a really fucked up life though.”

“Ah, alright Heather. What works for you, when you need to get through to them?” Daisy adjusted the pillow underneath her neck and stretched her legs out.

“Mostly just being a friend and pointing out obvious things. Like, the lady has a law degree but can’t seem to do chores and or even cook. She’s my friend and I care about her but sometimes it’s a real bummer,” Heather grumbled a couple sentences under her breath that Daisy didn’t quite catch. Something about a vibrator and other things that she would rather not know about.

“Maybe your roommate and my neighbour should start a support group for people who need someone to talk to. Do you think they’d be friends? I mean, unless she’s the ex-girlfriend who slept with his dad,” a moment of silence followed that statement on the other side of the phone, “oh shit.” 

“Yep, this is what I was scared would happen. Just like, keep an eye on Greg, make sure he doesn’t drink or do anything too stupid. I should probably talk to him now that I have his actual number.” She sounded genuinely concerned for her friend and his well being.

“That would probably be a good idea, it might be good for both of you to catch up.” Daisy suggested. Based on what she had just heard, her cousin sounded like a headache and not necessarily someone she wanted to reach out to.

“Hey Daisy-”

“Yeah,” she interrupted, wondering whether or not to tell Heather that she was her roommate’s cousin.

“I gotta ask, why are you helping this guy? You’ve known him for, like a week and whatever happens probably won’t change much in your life,” Heather asked.

“I dunno, part of it is because I don’t like people punching my door, but also because it feels like the right thing to do. Why did you help your roommate out?” Daisy inquired, both out of genuine curiosity and a desire to fish for information about her cousin.

“Hmmm,” Heather thought for a minute, “I guess I saw someone who needed a friend. Now that I think of it, maybe I needed one too.”

“I guess that’s how I feel now. It never hurts to be a friend, and your roommate is lucky to have you.”

“Thanks girl, out of all the wrong numbers I could have gotten I’m glad I ended up getting yours.”

“Yeah, me too.” Daisy smiled and hung up. Soon she would tell Heather about her relations to the one and only Rebecca Bunch of West Covina, but today was not that day. Years of lab work had taught her patience. Patience with procedures, with experiments, and most importantly with people. 

Daisy opened up her laptop and opened up the grant application she had been meaning to work on. She ignored it for a moment and made herself more coffee. Coffee on it’s own was harsh on the stomach so she made herself chocolate chip pancakes to go with it. The pancakes were fluffy, warm, and delicious with the coffee. They were more than worth the dishes she would have to do afterwards. Before working on the grant application of course. She thought about her cousin again, this time with pity and confusion. How one could be an adult and still not be willing to cook, clean, and take care of themselves baffled Daisy. Despite being a notorious procrastinator, she made a point of working through all of the mundane daily tasks that tended to pile up rather than ignoring them in hopes that they would go away. Maybe it was just good parenting. Either way she made a point of thanking both her mom and her dads. Looking into her fridge, Daisy saw that she had the ingredients for scones. A batch was too many for one person to eat but perhaps her neighbour Greg would appreciate fresh baked goods. She made a mental note to make them later. After finishing her grant application. Or at least the rough draft of it.


End file.
